Policy Research Associates Reviews CASES’ TCM Program

Published on October 22, 2012July 8, 2014

In August 2012, Policy Research Associates, with the support of the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, completed a review of CASES’ Transitional Case Management (TCM) program. TCM is an alternative sentence of either 3 or 5 days of mandated case management sessions in the community, followed by up to 3 months of voluntary case management services, including linkage to community-based treatment providers. TCM targets repeat misdemeanor offenders with mental health and/or substance abuse disorders charged in New York Criminal Court.

As documented by Policy Research Associates (PRA), the population targeted by TCM has an extensive history of court-involvement: participants have a mean 27 prior arrests at intake into TCM. The PRA report cites the presence of TCM staff in the court, the administration of standardized mental health and substance use screening for potential participants, an emphasis on immediate intake, and the flexible nature of program services as reasons for TCM’s effectiveness at reducing recidivism amongst participants.